Set during the Depression, Bud, Not Buddy follows the adventures of Bud Caldwell. He is an orphan and has been moved from foster home to foster home for years. Finally, Bud decides to try for a happier and better life by running away from his Michigan home to the West, but his journey does not go exactly as planned. Along the way, Bud encounters many characters, some helpful, and some challenging, and through them, he learns more about who he is and finds a home for himself. Bud, Not Buddy won the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award in 2000.